Appointed October 2021 · President Joe Biden→ Attorney General Merrick Garland
4 years on the immigration bench
Appointed under a Democratic administration
Background
The Honorable Immigration Judge Noelle Sharp was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge in October 2021. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1999 from San Francisco State University and a Juris Doctor in 2005 from Stetson University School of Law. From 2010 to 2021 she was an immigration attorney in private practice in California, Oregon, Texas, and Washington; from 2006 to 2007 she was a director at Catholic Charities Office of Refugee Resettlement Services in Tallahassee, Florida; and from 2005 to 2006 she was a law clerk with Florida Rural Legal Services. She is a member of the Washington State Bar.
Caseload & process (since 2021)
1,027
Completions per year
5,137 total
1.3%
Detained at decision
share of cases
6.7 mo
Median time to decision
from case start
45.2%
Ordered removed in absentia
person absent
2.6%
Decisions appealed to BIA
appeal rate
8.1%
Appeals remanded or reversed
37 appeals decided
Grant rates by type of relief
Share granted among merits decisions for each application type, since 2021.
Asylum
11.9%
59 decisions Moderate
Withholding / CAT
1.9%
107 decisions Moderate
Cancellation — 42B (non-LPR)
0%⚠
18 decisions Too few cases
Cancellation — 42A (LPR)
80%⚠
5 decisions Too few cases
Adjustment of status (245)
75%⚠
12 decisions Too few cases
Voluntary departure
86.5%
52 decisions Moderate
11.9%
of asylum claims granted on the merits Moderate
Based on 59 asylum decisions (grants + denials) since 2021.
This judge
11.9%
This court
6.9%
National average
31.8%
0%100% granted
In the bottom 23% of the 825 judges nationally with enough cases to compare.
Does a lawyer matter here?
Asylum grant rate by whether the person had legal representation.
With a lawyerrepresented · 55 decisions since 2021
7.3%
Without a lawyer⚠unrepresented · 4 decisions since 2021
75%
Asylum grant rate over time
Each point is that calendar year's grant rate, back to 2015 where the judge was deciding cases — the longer career view. Dashed grey line = current national average (31.8%). Headline rates above use 2021 – today.
Courts where this judge has decided cases
Hearing locations for cases this judge completed since 2021, by number of decisions.
Many judges hear cases from more than one court (detained facilities, video dockets, or reassignments).